Ms. Fabulous Hosts A Cherry Blossom Boozy Brunch

 Is it spring? Ms. Fabulous and Stretch n' Flow Yoga hosted a boozy brunch to celebrate the city's blooming cherry blossoms. The dress code was garden party chic, hosted at the gorgeous Hudson View Gardens Lounge. 

June Li Lo, director of Stretch n' Flow Yoga conducted an artisanal dumpling demo based on the recipes of her father's restaurant in Philadelphia (see recipe below). Of course, she made it look easy. The skills needed to include finite knife skills and delicate finger manipulation of the delicate wrappers and pleats. Shockingly, the prettiest dumplings were made by designer Byron Lars, who admitted later it "wasn't his first dumpling rodeo." Other guests included other fashion and media colleagues from AMC Networks, First Look Media, Macy's, Gwynnie Bee and Victoria's Secret. 

modern doll cocktail lab enhanced drinks

Cocktails are always a part of a Ms. Fabulous event. Today, they were hibiscus and berry teas spiked with "The Vicious Purple", floral cocktail bitters from Modern Doll Cocktail Lab. There were also mimosas using "Bitter Mandarina" and espresso martinis made with "Cocoa Canelle" a chocolate and cinnamon liqueur.

My outfit for the day was a pastel flared dress by Byron Lars. My pink petal headband is from Weng Meng Design Studio (my design).

Mr. Lo's Pork Dumplings:

1 lb Ground Pork

2 Bunches of Scallions (finely chopped)

2 oz. Bamboo Shoots (finely chopped)

2 oz. Nappa Cabbage (finely chopped)

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. Oyster Sauce

1 tsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Ground pepper to taste

1 (50 ct) package of Dumpling Wrappers 

1 egg (optional)

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients except the wrappers and egg together in a large bowl.

Place either the egg (beaten) or water in a small dipping bowl. Scoop 1 tsp. of the pork mixture into the middle of a dumpling wrapper held in the palm of your hand. Dip a finger into the water or beaten egg and rub along the edge of the wrapper to act as glue. Gently fold wrapper in half, but do not close it. Use two other fingers to create 3 light pleats along one edge, then pinch the edges closed to create a half-moon shape.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and add your folded dumplings to the pot. When the pot boils again and the dumplings rise (approx. 2-3 minutes) add an additional cup of water to the pot. When the pot boils a second time, repeat with adding an additional cup of water until the pot boils again and the dumplings rise.

Remove the dumplings and serve!

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Ms. Fabulous Mother's Day Gift Guide

I'm off to visit my family in Toronto. With me as always, I am bringing gifts to the wonderful women in my life. It will be Mother's Day, so my childhood friend, sister and actual Mom will be getting some of the goodies here.

Citizen watches are fast becoming a favorite of mine. This stainless steel Citizen Ladies' Diamond one is a posh treat for Mother's Day that I have decided to keep for myself, (sorry Mom!) I just fell in love with it. I am super picky with my watches. I like them sleek and dressy enough for the most formal occasion, but can look great with jeans too. I really groove on their Eco-Drive technology, not just for the eco-friendly aspect but because I am lazy and hate to change batteries. 

Mom loves color. MyWalit has a great collection of brightly colored wallets with beautiful leathers and color-block design straight from Italy. I thought she could use a compact wallet ($68) with lots of pockets to brighten her purse.

Those of you who follow me a lot know that I also moonlight as an embellishment designer for other brands. If you wanted a pretty accessory for yourself, I have been producing one-of-a-kind embellished headbands, cuff bracelets, necklaces and belts under the label Weng Meng Design Studio. Supermodel Carol Alt and actress Genevieve Rodriguez have worn them, why don't you take a look? 

I was introduced to DCL Skincare  by Ms. Fab contributor Geraldine. It was developed with serious science to treat your skin at multiple levels. One of the few drawbacks with looking young for your age (runs in the family, don't hate me) is you still get breakouts long after you should have stopped. The "Build Your Beauty" ritual function on the website is very helpful in finding the products for specific for your needs. Now that I have tried a few, I am a convert. I brought up the Spot Therapy ($32) product for my family to try.

I brought Modern Doll Cocktail Lab enhancements ($10) for the tired Moms this weekend to spike their coffees and teas with. Each variety was inspired by a strong woman in the arts of an earlier generation.  Cocoa Canelle is a chocolate and cinnamon bark infused liqueur with fashion icon Coco Chanel as the muse. The Vicious Purple was inspired by writer Dorothy Parker. The bitters are made from flowers like hibiscus, lavender and elder-flower.

I recently went a little crazy during the Bauble Bar sale. The dramatic crystal necklace is going to my Mom. She is going to look amazing in it. 

For my sister, she has more Minimalist taste. This delicate Ilana Ariel necklace is elegant and small enough not to get in the way of her hectic day.

The ladies in my family love our hair products. I was already a big fan of Strivectin skincare and jumped at the chance to try their haircare too. I already blazed through the shampoo and conditioner. Dry hair and annoying wispy little baby hairs run in my family, the Bodifying Radiance Serum is going to be our secret weapon. Since my family travels a lot, the UV protection helps too.

Mom is traveling to China, Lithuania and Russia this year. I got her this trio of Diane Von Furstenburg leather pouches ($70) for her toiletries, vitamins and jewelry. Three of them in super bright colors are nestled into one another like Russian Dolls (felt appropriate). They are very cute on their own as a clutch bag and easy to maneuver in a filled suitcase on a big trip. Hope she loves them!

Ok, what is everyone else getting the Moms in their life? If you're a Mom, treat YOURSELF. You more than deserve it. Happy Mother's Day!!!

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